What The Hāpai Access Card does

The Hāpai Access Card is a New Zealand-based disability identification credential issued by The Hāpai Foundation, headquartered at 21 Lodestar Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch. The product is a physical and digital card that displays up to nine personalised barrier icons derived from medical evidence, enabling cardholders to communicate accessibility needs to participating businesses without disclosing underlying medical details. Approximately 10 staff operate the program, supported by a board co-chaired by Karla Gunby and Ruth Keating, and the scheme holds recognition under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act alongside a Living Wage Employer certificate.

The underlying technology stack consists of a self-serve online application portal (app.accesscard.online) that produces immediate digital card images via email and subsequent physical card mailing, a publicly searchable online business directory, and an interactive map hosted on the Christchurch City Council data portal. The organisation partners with the UK Access Card to extend reciprocal recognition to 1,600+ UK/European locations and Australian theme parks, and has adopted the UserWay accessibility widget to support WCAG compliance on partner digital properties.

Revenue is generated primarily through card issuance fees of NZ$45 plus GST for a 3-year subscription period, reassessment administrative fees of NZ$15 plus GST, business training programs (both scheduled and bespoke), lanyard sales, and donations collected via DonorBox. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-consumer through the self-serve portal, supplemented by referrals from disability NGOs and community organisations. At present, 5,722 active cardholders interact with 310 participating businesses spanning New Zealand from Kaitaia to Invercargill, with international recognition layered on through the UK partnership.

Name

The Hāpai Access Card

Legal name

The Hāpai Foundation

Website

https://hapaifoundation.org.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Hāpai Access Card is a New Zealand nonprofit-issued disability identification card with personalised barrier icons, serving 5,722 cardholders across 310 domestic businesses and extended internationally via a UK Access Card partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Christchurch

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Card Fees: The primary revenue stream is from card issuance fees. Cards cost NZ$51.75 for 3 years (or NZ$45 plus GST based on main website), providing cardholders with discounts and free carer entry at participating businesses. There is also a NZ$15 plus GST admin fee for reassessment when cardholder needs change.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Hāpai Access Card is a New Zealand accessibility identification card issued to disabled individuals for a multi-year fee, displaying up to nine personalized barrier icons derived from medical evidence. Cardholders use the card at 310+ participating businesses nationwide to receive discounts, free companion tickets, and other concessions, with reciprocal recognition in the UK, Europe, and Australia through partner schemes. The organization also sells fee-for-service disability-access training programs to businesses to help them understand and meet accessibility needs.

Product overview

The Hāpai Access Card is a single, unified identity-card product for people with disabilities in New Zealand, priced at NZ$51.75 for a 3-year validity period. The core card is personalised with up to nine barrier icons derived from the cardholder's disclosed accessibility challenges and supporting medical evidence, enabling businesses to understand the holder's access needs without requiring disclosure of specific disability details. The product is distributed as both a physical card (mailed) and a digital image (emailed for phone storage/printing). The offering is supported by an online business directory (showing 310+ participating venues across New Zealand), an interactive map overlay, and fee-for-service business training programs. Reciprocal acceptance is extended in Australia and the UK/Europe via partnerships with local access-card schemes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hāpai Access Card

Quantifiable outcome

• 5722 active cardholders using the service
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bay Venues Disability Access MembershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2027Transition partnership for members of Bay Venues Disability Access Membership, which will expire on 30 June 2027. Hāpai Access Card is the recommended replacement, with members needing to apply before that date to maintain continuity of access benefits.
• UK Access Card (accesscard.online)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational partnership enabling Hāpai Access Cards to be recognized at over 1,600 locations in the UK and Europe. This partnership extends the card's utility for New Zealand cardholders traveling internationally and provides international cardholders access to New Zealand venues.
• Australian Theme ParksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor theme parks in Australia accept the Hāpai Access Card, providing recognition and potential discounts/accessible services for New Zealand cardholders visiting Australia.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Apple Accessibility: Apple's accessibility division provides built-in disability accommodations across its devices. While it addresses the same broader disability access market, it does not provide identification or venue-level services, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor.
• Microsoft Accessibility: Microsoft offers accessibility features across its software and hardware ecosystem. It is a broad incumbent in the disability inclusion space but does not compete in the card-identification or business-trainer segments of Hāpai's market.

Others

• People First New Zealand: People First NZ is a self-advocacy organization for people with learning disabilities. It is complementary to Hāpai's mission but does not offer identification cards or business training services.
• Disability Rights New Zealand: Disability Rights NZ is a New Zealand advocacy organization that supports the disability community. It is an adjacent ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, providing advocacy and services that complement Hāpai's identification function.

Direct peers

• CEA Card: The CEA Card is a UK-wide disability cinema card that allows a companion to attend cinemas free of charge. While narrower in scope (cinema-only), it operates the same model of paid disability identification for access benefits.
• UK Access Card: The UK Access Card is the direct international partner of Hāpai Access Card and operates the same barrier-icon-based disability identification system in the UK. It is the most directly comparable peer, sharing the same product model and serving a similar mission.
• Hidden Disabilities Sunflower: Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a global initiative providing lanyards and identification for people with hidden disabilities. It competes directly with Hāpai in the disability identification space but uses a less evidence-based model (no medical documentation required).
• AccessAble: AccessAble provides detailed accessibility information for venues across the UK and Ireland. It is comparable to Hāpai's business directory function but focuses on detailed accessibility guides rather than card-based identification.
• Euan's Guide: Euan's Guide is a UK-based disability access review platform with disabled access symbols and venue reviews. It serves a similar mission of connecting disabled individuals with accessible venues but operates through reviews rather than identification cards.

Emerging players

• AccessNow: AccessNow is a community-driven app mapping accessibility at businesses worldwide. It addresses the same problem of finding accessible venues but does not issue identification cards; it overlaps with the Hāpai directory side rather than the card side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7M4iPTFCM1hCyBW2qeF-BQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/hapaiaccesscard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-h%C4%81pai-access-card

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hāpai Access Card